Month: July 2022

Intellectual accent; theological strength; and titles that come with completion of a course; is identifiable by others who are swimming in the same waters called the doctrines of men. Pharisees in Jesus’ day recognized fellow Pharisees. Sadducees understood each other, for they had the same doctrine of no resurrection. But when some men, who used to be fishermen, tax collectors, or fig tree sitters, came to Jerusalem and starting healing the sick, the religious elite stood up and took notice. They were not taught how to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons or cleanse the leper in their theological institutions. They were taught hermenutics, exegesis, and literary analysis. This blew their rational minds, how could this be. They had the big titles, the paychecks, the temple, but they did not have the power of God.

It amazes me how the Bible can be so crystal clear in its articulation of truth and yet, we can be completely unaware of truth that sets us free. Acts 4 says, “Now as they (religious leaders) observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” Peter and John were not trained in their seminaries, bible schools or discipleship programs, but they had been with Jesus. Being with Jesus, following Jesus, fellowshiping with Jesus, learning from Jesus, transforms you into a new creation. This change was obvious to the religious leaders. They knew these men were different, for they didn’t argue theology they manifested power; they demonstrated grace; they spoke the truth in love.

We get to decide who we are going to be. As for me, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!

Last night I met with a group of powerful prophetic women. We gathered in someone’s house and shared what God is speaking to us. It was the start of many more meetings like that one. However, what struck me was how one woman who is visiting from California said, I see in this room “builders” who are going to release a “sound”. Those two words, builders and sound stuck with me through the night. This morning I was reading Acts 2 in our all church reading plan and it says in v. 6 “And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.”

I have been meditating on this verse and the words, builders and sound, all morning long. I sense the Lord is looking for a variety of voices, who are all building the kingdom of God. I see these voices coming together to amplify the message of the gospel of kingdom and as they do, the crowd is going to come together because of the sound they are hearing. The sound will cause people to be bewildered, because it will not be one voice speaking one language, but a variety of languages releasing one sound.

The language of the apostle is different than the prophet, the language of the evangelist is different than the teacher, the language of the pastor is different than the apostle, the language of the corporation is different than the congregation and the language of the woman is different than the man. So many different languages, but one sound! The sound is not hindered by the different languages, the different languages actually draw a diversity of people, but the sound is God. His language may come through differently depending on who you are, but His sound is the same. Our job as believers is not to have the same language, but to have the same sound. I hear a sound like a mighty rushing wind coming into the nations declaring the gospel of the kingdom and I see the crowds gathering because they heard the sound in their language. We don’t have to speak the same language but we do have to release the same sound.

June 4-6, 2022 was Pentecost in the Hebrew Year 5782. Since those days, we have been in a Pentecost season in the spirit. God has been cleansing the nations with a baptism of fire. The heat is on and people are feeling it in a variety of ways. John said about Jesus in Matthew 3 that He would baptize us in the Holy Spirit and in fire, but he also said, Jesus had a winnowing fork in His hand to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is a direct connection to Malachi 4 which speaks of all the evil doers and arrogant that are chaff who are uprooted from the land. This is all Pentecost language and this is where we are right now in the spirit. We are undergoing a baptism of fire for the removing of all the chaff personally, corporately, nationally and internationally. If it feels hot, its because He is burning up all that is not needed for the next season…Tabernacles.

I was reading Acts 1 today and Luke says, Jesus gathered them together and commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father promised them (John 16), which He said, “You heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with he Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Within 10 days the fire of God fell in the upper room and baptized them with fire. Fire is both power and purification. We are in a baptism of fire right now. God is both releasing His power and He is purifying us in preparation for Rosh Hashannah 5783, which is in September 2022.

Isaiah 4 is a great description of where we are and what this fire baptism is producing right now. Remember since June 4-6, 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned, now hear Isaiah 4 “It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.” The spirit of burning and judgment is preparation for the glory. We are going to look back and praise God for the baptism of fire when this is all said and done.

There is room for you and your gift in the kingdom of God. You don’t need to push and shove others out of their position to find yours. The kingdom of God is wide open spaces that are holy places, it is not a building. Buildings have limited space, but the kingdom is wide open space. We have been taught that worth comes from a position in a building, but in the kingdom worth comes from knowing the King. When you know the king, you don’t need a title to function in your gifting, for you realize there is an abundance of everything in the kingdom, and the Lord says, “function, for the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

1 Chronicles 27 inspired this thought when it said, “Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni tutored the king’s sons. Ahithophel was counselor to the king; and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend. Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar succeeded Ahithophel; and Joab was the commander of the king’s army.” I love how they each had a function they operated in and it does not sound like they were in competition with each other. No position was greater than the other, but each was needed.

Religion has made certain positions seem more important than others to us as believers, but in the kingdom, that is not the case. We all function by design and we are all to honor one another, celebrate one another and recognize as the Apostle Paul said, if we were all an eye where would the sense of hearing be. We all have a role to play in the kingdom. One function is not better than the other, for the kingdom of God is a body not a building. There is no need to think your better than another, for you are just doing something other than another. My friends, your gift, your calling, your function is for the kingdom, not the building. We need you!

Jesus said, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” He wasn’t asking religious Jews to repent of some heinous sin they were involved in, for that was not their issue. He was telling them to repent of their religious ideas for the kingdom of God was at hand. When our culture is religious, we do not even realize how religious we are until we hear the gospel of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is not another way of saying salvation, church or some other religious term, the kingdom of God is its own culture; it’s a whole new way to think, operate and process; it is a person; it is a system of government like we have never known before. The kingdom of God is nothing like religion.

Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. This is the call Jesus gave in His day and this is the message from heaven right now. Change the way you think, the kingdom of God is at hand. We are hearing people say the words the kingdom of God but they are not changing they way they think. The kingdom of God is not heirarchal, that is a change in thinking. The kingdom of God is made up of children who are teachable not know it alls, that is a change of thinking. The kingdom of God is love and truth, not knowledge and tolerance, that is a different way of thinking. The kingdom of God is a person not a building, that is a different way of thinking. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. It is not coming soon, it is breaking into the earth realm right now, just like it did when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river. It is among us right now. Repent so you don’t miss it.

The gospel of salvation is all about the cross, it is preaching salvation to saved people. The kingdom of God is truth that sets you free, it is an invitation into abundant life. It is coming through the narrow gate, the cross, and coming into wide open spaces that are holy places. We can build new buildings, put different names on television, change the songs we sing or the light colors we use, but none of that is a manifestation of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is seen and heard in what comes out of your mouth. Jesus spoke not as the religious leaders but as one who had authority and everyone marveled at His gracious words. The kingdom is at hand, repent!

America has been baptized in the message of salvation for a long time. It is one message in the word of God, but it is not the only message. When you preach salvation to saved people, it does not carry the weight that a salvation message to unsaved people carries. Jesus did not preach the law to the Jews for they already knew the law, He preached something they did not know about, He preached the kingdom of God is at hand. This message, which they did not know peaked their curiosity, offended their minds, caused them to both follow Him wherever He went and killed Him. However, the message of the kingdom provoked in everyone that heard it a response, because it was a message they had not heard before. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. People were amazed at His words, for he taught not as the religious leaders, but as one who had authority. America and the nations have heard and continue to hear the gospel of salvation, but they have not heard the gospel of the kingdom. They are not the same message. My friends, the kingdom is at hand!

While praying Psalm 54 this morning, the Lord spoke to me and said, “You have made salvation declarations over the nation, now I want you to make vindication declarations over the nation. I am about to vindicate the nation by my power.” Psalm 54:1 says, “Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power.” Salvation comes from the name of God, there is no other name by which men can be saved vindication comes from the power. Saved people don’t need a message of salvation, they need power that brings vindication. God is about to vindicate our nation. A spirit of vindication is the new declaration over our nation. God is about to vindicate us nationally, internationally, individually and corporately. The power of God is coming to vindicate us and in the day of God’s power, the people will volunteer freely (Psalm 110). We are living in the day of vindication. Eyes wide open, for vindication is coming in many ways to many people. The declaration of vindication for our nation has been made and we will see liberation, in Jesus name!

People are the true riches in the kingdom of God. People are valuable in the eyes of God. There are only two New Testament commandments, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. Danny Goke has a song out and the theme is Love God, Love People, it really is that simple. But you can’t love who you don’t see. If you look at a crowd, a city, a country, a family, a company and all you see is the name of the place, you do not see the people. Cities are people, companies are people, families are people, churches are people, countries are people. We cannot make sweeping statements about America and think we know America, for America is people. I believe it is critical that we get back to seeing people. I know things have gotten big, but we need to keep it simple and keep it small, it is really about people. Love God, Love people, it is really that simple.

I was reading Luke 19 this morning and verse one stopped me in my reading, for it describes a man who in that culture would have been seen as of no value, because of what he did. Listen to verse 1 “And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.” This man was not liked, for he came to take your money, but there was more to him than his job, his exterior, Jesus looked past what everyone else saw and Jesus saw this man’s heart. Jesus even said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.” (V.9). While the people saw a tax collector, Jesus saw a son of Abraham that was lost, but now was found.

My friends, I pray you see people’s hearts. I know their actions can sometimes be challenging to see past, but so can ours. We have got to get back to seeing people. People are the true riches, people are the treasure and people are hurting, hungry, and wanting other people to see them. Look for the heart when you meet people. Don’t let their title, their attitude, even some of their words, spook you so you miss their heart. There are many buried treasures all around us waiting to be discovered and they are people.

Did you know that if you are looking for one thing, but God is looking for another thing, we can completely miss each other, just because we are not looking for the same thing? It happens all the time in marriages. The man is looking for one thing from his wife and the wife is looking for something completely different from her husband, so they get frustrated with each other, all because they are not looking for the same thing out of the relationship. It is not that they don’t love each other, it is not that they don’t want to please or serve each other, it is simply because they are looking for two different things. It is called a values conflict. It happens in every relationship. What you value may not be of highest value to someone else and so you get frustrated because you can’t see past your highest value in order to understand theirs.

In Luke 18 it says, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” The first values conflict most believers have with the Bible is that they cannot believe that God would use unrighteousness people to teach righteous people anything. This is a sign of being religious, because we judge the unrighteous as having no value when it comes to what God is doing on the earth. This mistake is very costly for those who make it, because God used Pharaoh to get Israel out of Egypt; He used Goliath to promote David; He used Rahab to hide Jewish spies; and He still uses those we deem unrighteous to do His kingdom work on earth, for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. If you don’t value unrighteous leaders God is using, you will miss what they are doing for the kingdom of God on earth.

We value justice, we don’t want any delay, and the unrighteous judge says, those things are going to happen for us, We will see justice and it is not going to delay, but justice is not God’s highest value, even though it may be ours. Luke 18 says, we are looking for justice and God is looking for faith, God’s highest value is faith, ours is justice, is it possible this is why people are frustrated, because believers and God are not looking for the same thing? I believe this is why we get frustrated, because we are looking for something different than God is looking for. Our job is to know what He is looking for and look for the same thing, then we will not be frustrated by something we think we want, for we are pursuing the same thing God wants.

“When God sprinkles on the favor, you can’t deny the flavor!” As I was opening my eyes this morning to look at the clock this is what I heard. My friends I see the salt shaker of God adding the flavor called favor to your life and it’s going to make you taste good.

Christians have been know for tasty spicy, bland, bitter, or even burnt, but Jesus says we are to be salty. “You are the salt of the earth.” (Matthew 5:13). “When God sprinkles on the favor, you can’t deny the flavor!” God is about to add favor to your life and it is going to change the way you taste. Others are the ones that experience your flavor, they are the ones that want more of who you are or less based on how you taste. God is about to add some much needed flavor to our lives and it is going to be called favor.

Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” God tastes good, and now it is time for us as believers to taste good if we are going to say we are made by God. He does not over or under season His people, He does not serve up something bland, inedible or undesirable to the taste. The psalmist says, taste and see that God is good, this favor that He is sprinkling on us is going to make us taste really good.

Finally, Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” We are about to be know as a people of favor for we have a flavor that cannot be denied for it tastes so good. I see the salt shaker of God sprinkling us with favor right now. You and I are about to have favor added to our lives that is going to make us taste good to those who hear us speak, hang out with us, and spend time with us. “When God sprinkles on the favor, you can’t deny the flavor!”

Sniper attacks; sudden hits; out of the blue situations; the enemy always hits below the belt without shame or concern for how it affects you. You don’t see it coming; you might not have done anything to warrant it; all signs that this is an attack from the enemy. But why would he just wail off and deck you? Because he is the devil and this is what he does. If you are marked and known as one of God’s children, the enemy sees you as a target of his attacks. Being able to see the source of the spirit behind the attack is important, for Paul says in Ephesians 6, our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, principalities and powers in heavenly places. This is more true right now than any time in my life on earth.

Roe v. Wade was overturned, which means Moloch’s blood supply has been cut off, this will irritate the enemy in ways we do not even fully understand. The Georgia Guidestones (which were a demonic altar) has been destroyed. The Bible is clear that when you tear down the enemies altar he is not happy, just ask Gideon. People around the world are waking up to the agenda of the enemy operants on earth and they are pushing back. It is time to start watching some International news to see how people have begun to rise. Oh the enemy hates push back, because the Bible says, resist the devil and he MUST flee from you. Righteousness is exalting nations, the enemy’s defeat is manifesting on earth and so if you feel sucker punched by the enemy I do not want you to take it personally.

Whenever Jesus cast out a demon, it would shake, convulse and throw people to the ground as it came out. It is no different right now, we are experiencing deliverance as nations right now and the enemy is being cast out, henceforth, why we feel a shaking. It’s all really good news, for Psalm 60 says, “O give us help against the adversary, For deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.” God is doing this, so we can sing, praise, rejoice, and thank God for He is setting us free from our adversary. The attack is not personal its the residue of a defeated enemy. Stand up and praise Him, He is worthy!